Survival snowshoes

ABSTRACT

THE SURVIVAL SNOWSHOES OF THIS INVENTION COMPRISE A DETACHABLE PORTION OF AN EXTERIOR GARMENT, PREFERABLY THE SLEEVE LINING, PROVIDED WITH SLITTABLE AREAS OR ATTACHED TAB LOOPS. IF THE DRIVE OF A SNOW VEHICLE IS STRANDED, HE MAY DETACH THE LINING, THRUST STICKS THROUGH THE SLITS, LOOPS, OR OTHER MEANS PROVIDED, AND BY FACING THE STICK-SUPPORTED LINING TO HIS BOOT MAKE AN EMERGENCY SNOWSHOE.

Nov. 16, 1971 s. o. CHENEY SURVIVAL SNOWSHOES Filed Jul 16, 1970ST7/VLEY CHE/V5 INVENTOR BYWeod 01.: C .Bnowna.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,619,915 SURVIVAL SN OWSHOESStanley 0. Cheney, West Springfield, N.H. Filed July 16, 1970, Ser. No.55,440 Int. Cl. A630 13/00 US. Cl. 36-4.5

Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to survivalsnowshoes.

The advent of small over-the-snow vehicles has produced a new hazardthat, should the vehicle fail, the driver of the vehicle may be strandedin deep snow miles away from persons who know of his predicament. Unlesshe carries snowshoes which will allow him to walk out from the area inwhich he was stranded, he is in serious danger-so much so that some parkand forest land supervisors will not allow a snow vehicle to be operatedin their areas unless the driver carries an elfective walkietalkie. Butthis is by no means a universal practice, and many times a driver of astranded vehicle must rely on his own resources.

The present invention provides a means by which a stranded driver maywalk out, even though he carries no snowshoes.

Recently special down-filled or insulated snowmobile suits have appearedwhich protect the driver from the weather much better than formerly. Incarrying out my invention, I provide such suits, or in fact any coat orarticle of exterior clothing, with special detachable linings. Thelinings are sewn into the coat by a chain stitch, or are attached to thegarment by slide fasteners, or in any other quickly detachable manner.When the wearer be comes stranded, he pulls these linings away from thegarment and converts them into emergency snowshoes in a manner whichwill appear from the specification and the drawings, in which FIG. 1 isa plan view of the lining after its removal from the sleeve of thegarment,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same lining after it has been stiffened andreinforced by sticks,

FIG. 3 is a detailed view showing the lining finished with tab loops,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail showing the fused pattern in thethermoplastic lining used to form the lacing eyelets, and

FIG. 5 shows a portion of a sleeve lining transversely stitched to forma series of tubes in which reinforcing sticks may be placed.

Although the lining, or in fact any portion of a garment, may be used toform the supporting surface of an emergency snowshoe, sleeve liningshave the approximate size and shape tomake them particularly suitable.Accordingly, the preferred example shows a sleeve lining adapted for useas an emergency snowshoe. Other portions of a garment may be treated inthe manner which this specification sets forth.

The fabric of which the lining is made can be formed of any strongtextile material, and conveniently can be formed of thermoplastic fiberssuch as nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, or one of the polyesterthermoplastic textile fibers.

3,619,915 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 To obviate confusion, the surface ofthe lining which is hidden while in the garment will be called the lowersurface. That face of the lining which is exposed when the lining is innormal position in the garment will be called the upper surface.

As 'FIG. 1 shows, the spread-out lining 10, removed from the sleeve of agarment bears a number of parallel fused lines 11-11, in which thetextile nature of the fabric is lost. These fused lines are distributedover the surface of the lining 10, in such a way that by slitting thethermoplastic in the fused area and pushing the intermediate fabriceither up or down, loops 12-12 will be formed which may hold reinforcingsticks which give rigidity to the snowshoe. The sticks are saplings ofapproximately of an inch in diameter, and are broken off by the operatorfrom growth at the location of the stranded machine. As a specificexample, a snowshoe which will support a man weighing at least lbs.requires a rear stick 13, approximately 25 inches long, an intermediatestick 14, approximately 20 inches long, and a forward stick 15, which is15 inches long.

Stick 15 is the so-called roll stick, and is threaded through the fabricloops in such a manner that it lies on the upper surface of the fabric.Its position allows the boot to tip up and down while walking. The toehole in the filling of a conventional snowshoe is not necessary sincethe cloth will bend downwards beneath the pressure of the toe of thewearers boot.

Two sticks 16 and 17 are threaded through the loops in the fabric toform a cross, with the rear end of stick 16, e.g. terminating on thelefthand side of the fabric at the rear of the snowshoe, and stick 17,terminating on the right.

Lacings 1.8, which pass over the instep and also around the heel of theshoe are threaded through small eyelets 19, which are made by fusing thefabric 10, in the manner shown in detail in FIG. 4. The fused area 21may be pushed or cut out of the cloth. Lacings 1 8, in the made-upgarment are attached to the lining and, when the lining is in place inthe garment, lie between the lining and the outer sleeve, and so cannotbe lost or misplaced prior to the emergency.

As FIG. 3 shows, instead of slits being made in the lining, tape loops22 and 23' may be attached to the lower surface of the lining, theexception being loops which hold the roll stick. These must appear onthe upper surface of the snowshoe. Full directions for use may beprinted on the lining itself or on the label 24, which is attached tothe garment.

An alternate construction is shown in FIG. 5 where, instead of formingloops in the lining to hold the sticks, the lining is two-ply and isstitched, or otherwise fastened in any appropriate manner along linesrunning transversely across the lining. In eifect, a series of tubes ismade through which the sticks may be thrust. Two sticks 25 and 26 arelaid on the upper surface parallel to its longitudinal center line andare held in position by lacings 18a, which pass through eyelets formedin the same manner as the eyelets 19.

Transverse corrugations occur on the snow-contacting surface of thesnowshoe shown in FIG. 5. They are of considerable advantage indescending steep slopes, and grip if the snow is a little crusty.

The same advantages can be attained in the snowshoe of FIG. 2. Thesticks can be so placed in the loops as to appear on the snow-contactingsurface, and are very effective in preventing slippage on crusted snowor on steep grades.

The expedient of forming a lining or any portion of a garment in such amanner that it can be used as an emergency substitute for a standardsnowshoe adds very little to the cost of a garment. Because it is highlyunlikely that anyone will travel on a snow vehicle without suitableoutside clothing, if the clothing possesses the detachable elements ofthis invention, it is impossible for anyone to be stranded withouthaving the means to walk away from the stranded vehicle. The coat willnot be forgotten as loose snowshoes could be, and should a person bestranded and have the means to walk out on deep snow, there is littlechance that he will become lost. Snow vehicles make a substantial track.The stranded driver has only to follow this track to come out at theplace from which he started.

I claim:

1. A garment having an outer ply and a lining, a portion of which liningis adapted to be detached from said garment to form the supportingsurface of an emergency snowshoe, having means incorporated in the saidportion to retain sticks to afford both transverse and lateral rigidityto said portion, and lacings affixed to said portion and normally lyingbetween the inner and outer plies whereby a foot may be laced to theextended supporting surface.

2. A garment provided with a detachable portion adapted to form thesupporting surface of an emergency snowshoe wherein the said detachableportion is formed of thermoplastic fibers, and wherein at specifiedintervals distributed over the face of said portion, the saidthermoplastic fibers are fused together, thereby producing an area whichmay be cut or split to create loops extending above and below theextended surface of said portion, adapted to receive transverse andlongitudinal supporting sticks when the detached portion is to be usedas the supporting surface in an emergency snowshoe.

3. A garment having a portion of said garment which may be detached toform the supporting surface of an emergency snowshoe, the saiddetachable portion being formed of two plies of lining material stitchedtogether by a plurality of transverse stitchings extending from onelateral margin to the other and forming a tube wherein sticks can bethrust into the space between the plies to maintain the said portion ina laterally extended condition, the said fabric having eyelets toprovide for the attachment of longitudinal sticks thereby providing forlongitudinal stiffness in the said emergency snowshoe.

4. A garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detachable portion bearson its exposed surface printed directions for the conversion of thedetachable portion to an emergency snowshoe.

5. A garment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the detachable portion ofsaid lining bears a multiplicity of loops arranged to receive and holdreinforcing sticks to give transverse and longitudinal rigidity to thesaid portion when it is to be used as a supporting surface of anemergency snowshoe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,889 9/1937 Horn 2-893,024,466 3/1962 Agostini 2-126 X 3,484,958 12/1969 Novak et a1 362.5 AB

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner

